“Plastic surgeons and the aestheticians and nurses who work with them know more than anyone about patient safety and skin care,” says SPSSCS President-Elect and Program Chair Kathy Jones, a registered nurse from Fort Wright, KY. “This is why it is so important for us to work with our state legislators to develop guidelines that will help keep people safe.”

Two highlights from the Skin Care 2008 include:

This meeting will focus on scope of practice issues regarding aesthetic care. As states begin to apply more regulatory pressures on nurses and aestheticians who perform procedures, it is becoming increasingly important to let people know exactly who is qualified to perform them. Presentations include a panel discussion on the current regulatory environment for nurses and aestheticians as well as proposed educational standards. Dr. Neal Reisman, a board certified plastic surgeon and attorney from Houston, TX, will also speak about steps to take to keep the patient, the doctor and the skin care specialist safe.

Until a few years ago there were just a handful of medical skin-care lines. Now, with hundreds of product lines being sold everywhere from drugstores to doctors’ offices, even skin care specialists are confused about what the best products are, and which are the best products for the individual patient.

The panel titled Oh No! How Do I Know What to Choose? will compare over-the-counter products to cosmeceuticals, as well as look at common ingredients, evaluate the penetration of ingredients, and examine the new trend of organic products.